The people of Israel
were a society that prized their children. Abortion and child exposure –
leaving children outside to die – which were practised by the pagan nations
surrounding the Holy Land, were sinfully abhorrent to God’s elect people. They
hailed every birth with joy and gratitude.
Growing up with
brothers and sisters, Jesus , no doubt, had opportunity and responsibility to
help care for his younger siblings. He thus acquired realistic insight into the
characteristics and needs of children (Mark 3:31-32; 6:3). While the Gospels
give no specific information about the family relationships in the home of Mary
and Joseph, we have good reason to believe they were sensitive, caring, and
God-fearing parents.
As His own attitudes
were influenced by the attitudes of his parents, Jesus became a lover of
children. During his ministry, he was delighted to welcome them whenever they
clustered around Him. He had an acute understanding of their need for warm
acceptance and adult help. Some of the children in the crowds that followed
Jesus were acutely hungry or at least malnourished. Some were sick with all too
common ailments. Some of them were deformed and blind. Some were in the grip of
demonic powers (Mark 9:17-18).
The disciples of Jesus were annoyed by restless children and tried to push them to the outskirts of the crowds. They ordered them to be quiet or to go away. Nevertheless, the children who sensed Jesus’ love for them, clustered about, waiting to be picked up and held in his welcoming arms. Jesus embraced them and even prayed God’s blessing on them, much to the surprise of his disciples, who he later rebuked (Mark 10:13-16). Not only that, He declared that children were to be welcomed in His name and that they – so dependent, so trustful, so teachable, so innocent – serve as models of the faith needed to enter the kingdom of God (Matthew 18:1-5). He declared that anyone who causes a child to go astray will suffer severe punishment (Mark 9:35-37, 42).
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